LA CIVETTA April 2019 | Page 60

sport

"It's unreal, to be honest," said Francesco Molinari, who was named the BBC’s World Sport Star in the 2018 Sports Personality Show for his outstanding performance on the golf green over the past year. The BBC’s terms and conditions claim that ‘This award goes to the world sports star whose achievements have most captured the public's imagination during 2018’ and Molinari has definitely reached this claim with his stellar golfing year. Molinari becomes the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2000 to land the SPOTY award and the ninth golfer. In the same week, he was named European Tour Golfer of the Year and also claimed the Golf Writers' Trophy, awarded annually by the Association of Golf Writers.

The 36-year-old won the 2018 Open Championship, this being his first (and currently only) major victory; he has made history for his nation too, as his achievement is the first major won by an Italian professional golfer. His achievements don’t stop there; he has become the first European to win all five of his matches against the USA in the 2018 Ryder Cup, furthermore ending the season as Europe’s No.1 player with victory in the Race To Dubai. It’s safe to say that Molinari has had an incredibly successful year, putting his way to 10th position in the PGA world tour ranking.

Francesco Molinari – Sports Personality 2018

Photo:Eurosport.com